Side by Side
by KaleidoscopeKreation
Summary: The Battle of Metru Nui is won, the Toa Metru are themselves again. As they face the colossal task of the Great Rescue, Vakama finds himself wondering if being a hero is really worth it. Which is where Matau steps in. Two-shot, post WofS, Matau-Vakama.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't know what it is about Bionicle movie trilogy - especially the final two films - that makes me love it so much. Could it the great voice actors, or the tear-jerking music? Perhaps the unintentional humour of a Wagnerian drama being played out in Lego? Or the character development, or the relationships between the Toa? I think it's probably all of these things, plus a lot more. =)**

** This is the second time that my obsession with Bionicle has resurfaced, and the first time that I have been compelled to actually write Fanfiction for it. Diehard fans, please forgive me for bringing slash to the table. If you want to blame anyone, blame my big sister _True Colours. _When she and I watch a film together, it's inevitable - the slash-goggles come out, the jokes start, and before the evening is done, we're shipping a pairing like there's no tomorrow. **

**Anyway. I'll stop rambling now. Without further ado, here is what you all came to see: _le fic_ itself. Enjoy! ^_^ **

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><p><strong>Side by Side<strong>

Usually, Matau was a sound sleeper. He might occasionally talk a bit, or maybe toss and turn without realising, but other than that and the occasional crazy dream, he went out like a lamp the second he lay down, and stayed that way, dead to the world, until dawn. (And then some, given the chance.)

Not tonight, though. He and the other Toa had been sleeping rough for the past few days since their victory over the Visorak horde. None of them had been too keen to return to the Colosseum, festooned as it was with poisonous green webs and bad memories; however, it was the resting-place of the Matoran, and they wanted to stay as close to their work as possible. In the end, they had settled at a Temple in the Southernmost part of Ga-Metru, which, though fairly untouched, wasn't the most comfortable place in the world to sleep in.

It would have been bearable if hadn't been for the events of earlier that night (or last night? Was it morning yet?) Onewa and Nuju had made a formal complaint to Vakama about Matau's sleeping habits, claiming that he 'talked nonstop' and 'flailed everywhere', and requesting that he be banished to the edge of the circle, so as not to disturb them.

'Yesterday I woke up with your foot in my face,' Onewa had complained, 'And Nuju says you punched him the night before that. You're like a hyperactive Starfish. It's a health hazard.'

Matau had appealed to Vakama to veto the decision, hoping for some leeway, considering their recently improved relationship since the battle of Metru Nui, but to no avail. He had ended up stuck on the bumpiest bit of floor, farthest away from the fire, and spent the night thus far in an uneasy stupor, his mind shifting between dreams and wakefulness.

He would be good for nothing in the morning after a bad night like this. He'd fall asleep on the job, and then probably get blamed for that too! Matau groaned, scowled, and sat up stiffly, massaging his aching shoulders and looking enviously around at the sleeping Toa.

Quick-stop, someone was missing! There were only four, all-told, and a spot of cold grey stone where the fifth should be. Matau frowned in the half-light, recognizing the prone forms of Whenua and Nuju, Onewa and Nokama. That meant – surprise, surprise – that it was Vakama who'd disappeared.

Matau got groggily to his feet, taking a quick look around the courtyard where they were camped. Where could the fire-spitter have disappeared to?

Matau yawned, stretched some feeling back into his limbs, and deliberated. There was no point in lying back down and trying to sleep on that floor again. Seeing as he was awake anyway, he might as well go and look for Vakama. Matau looked around one last time, and then ghosted out of the courtyard, leaving the other four Toa to sleep on, undisturbed. One advantage, he thought, of being an Air-Toa, was that when he wanted to, he could move in almost-total silence.

~O~

The search didn't take him long.

Vakama had climbed onto the roof of their temple, and settled himself on the far Eastern side of the roof. It was high enough to give a view that extended miles out either way, and in the distance, beyond the lakes that surrounded their narrow spit of land. Vakama was sat

with his knees tucked up under his Mask, and his back against a small, mossy stone pinnacle, looking out over the City. Following his gaze, Matau was unsurprised to see, glowing red through the pre-dawn haze, the buildings of Ta-Metru.

Smiling to himself, Matau sneaked silently towards the pinnacle where Vakama sat, waiting until he was right behind him before bending and saying conversationally: 'nice view from up here, huh?'

Vakama jumped spectacularly and spun around, looking flustered. 'M-Matau! What are you doing, er...'

'Up?' Matau suggested. Vakama nodded mutely. 'Well, seeing as _someone _banished me to the cold side of the courtyard to contend with a million floor-bumps and hypothermia, I didn't end up sleeping too good.' With a dramatic sigh, Matau flopped down next to Vakama and stretched his legs out in front of him. 'I decided to give it up as a bad job and come look for you.'

Vakama looked guilty. 'I'm sorry about that, Matau. I personally didn't mind your sleeping habits. It's just that... I don't want the others to think that I'm biased in your favour.'

Matau laughed. 'If they ever thought that, they'll forget it when they see how dead-tired I am in the morning. I'm pretty sure that your reputation as Group-leader is safe.'

Vakama gave a half-hearted smile, and his gaze shifted back towards the horizon again, to the distant towers of Ta-Metru.

'So, why are _you_ up, Vakama?' Matau asked, somewhat tentatively. Something about Vakama's demeanour made him feel that this might be a sensitive topic.

Vakama dropped his gaze and sighed again. Matau was suddenly struck by how tired he sounded.

'Nightmares. They woke me up a little while ago, and since I couldn't get back to sleep, I came up here.'

Matau frowned anxiously. 'D'you think you were vision-seeing again?'

Vakama shook his head. 'No... just bad nightmares. Flashbacks to Makuta's takeover... the Visorak horde... everything that we've gone through seems to be coming back to me.' He raised a hand to rub his brow tiredly, before turning to look at Matau with a strange expression on his face. 'Matau... Do you remember how simple life was when we were Matoran? Back when our biggest problems were things like getting masks done on time, and we were sure that Toa Lihkan could protect us from anything? Do you ever miss it?'

Matau was quiet for a moment; for once, he actually had to give his reply a bit of thought. Would he rather be a Matoran than a Toa? Would he prefer a life of peace to one of danger?

'Well...' he began, choosing his words carefully, 'I guess that our life then was a lot safer than it is now...'

Vakama snorted. 'You can say that again!'

'...But even so, you've gotta say that life as a Toa-hero is a _lot _more interesting than being a Matoran ever was. There's always something new around the corner when you're a Toa – always an adventure.'

'I... suppose.'

For a few minutes, neither of them spoke. Matau tilted his head back to look up into the night sky, searching for the six stars in particular that stood out, a little brighter than the rest. They were a sign of the Toa's power and vitality, certainly; but Matau was beginning to understand that they were also a symbol of the Toa's huge duty.

He and the other Toa were spending their days evacuating a ruined city. They were taking the fate of a whole race into their hands. Their days were spent cataloguing and accounting for living beings, loading Matoran into airships, checking and double-checking they had not missed even one. The work was monotonous, tense and lonely. But in some ways, it was peaceful, especially after everything they had been through. And at least they had each other.

Matau shivered and shifted from side to side. The night-chill seemed to have made it into his deepest circuits, leaving them cold and torpid. Not for the first time, he thought longingly of the urban comforts of Le-Metru, where a temperature change was one button-touch away...

Then Vakama cleared his throat and began to speak. 'I suppose... you're right.'

'I'm always right,' Matau said absent-mindedly. 'What about this time?'

Vakama elbowed him. 'That life before being a Toa was too easy. Nothing happened that we didn't expect. There were no real challenges; there were no real victories.' Vakama paused. 'And besides...' He looked towards Matau, who noticed happily that Vakama was beginning to smile, 'if it wasn't for this mess, we would never have met, would we?'

Somehow, the idea of never meeting Vakama and the others had never crossed Matau's mind. He thought of it now, and was surprised at how flat and empty the prospect suddenly seemed. Life with the Toa Metru seemed somehow natural. It had been so easy to slip into the team; they had started a new life together with barely a backward glance. Imagining life without him now... it was well-nigh impossible.

Him?

'Hey, Firespitter, there's one thing you need to clear-up,' Matau said casually, 'when you said "we", what did you mean? Did you mean... did you mean "you and me"? Or,' he added hastily, "You and me and the other-four"? Or "you and me and the other four and Norik", or – '

'Alright, alright!' Vakama threw up his hands. 'You need classification, I understand.' He paused. 'My statement could apply to any of the groups you suggested, but when I first said it, I meant – I meant... j-just you and me.' He took a deep breath, then said quietly, 'If we hadn't been Toa, you and I wouldn't have met.'

Matau was unable to stop himself smiling hugely. 'So you reckon it's a good thing we met, Smelthead?'

Vakama laughed. 'Well, not always. Sometimes you're so irritating that you make me want to kick you head-first into a Kanoka forge. But on the whole... yes.' He paused, looking away. 'Especially since... since the Battle of Metru Nui.'

Matau knew what Vakama meant. Their conversation on the roof of the Coliseum had changed things between them, indisputably for the better. Beforehand, they had been awkward maybe-almost-rivals, Vakama defensive, Matau resentful. Afterwards, it was as though a switch had been thrown. He and Vakama were comrades, friends... they were closer now than Matau would have thought possible.

'Well, I'm glad you enjoy my company, Firespitter,' he said, giving a yawn and another shiver. Beside him, Vakama sat perfectly still. How was he not freezing out here?

Then, for the first time, Matau noticed the heat coming off Vakama in waves, and realised that he had been automatically scooting closer to him throughout their conversation.

'Hey, Vakama,' he exclaimed, 'you're really hot!'

Vakama whirled around to face Matau. 'E-excuse me?'

'It's because you're a Fire-Toa, isn't it? You run hot all the time, you lucky Mask-melter, you. That's why you're not freezing your mask off up here!'

'I suppose so,' Vakama shrugged, looking a little bemused. 'I never really noticed. But now that you mention it...'

'Hey, Vakama, move this way a bit, would you? I've practically lost all feeling in my extremities,' Matau huffed.

Vakama blinked his red-gold eyes in surprise. 'Really? It's not all _that _chilly, is i – Mata Nui! You _are _freezing!'

Matau snorted. 'Sorry to bust your bubble, but not everyone's as scorching-hot as you, Firespitter.' The idea of being properly warm for the first time in nights was certainly a nice one, so he snuggled closer to Vakama, who, to his gratitude, didn't push him away. (Although he did splutter a bit.)

A few minutes passed, and Matau enjoyed the warmth that was working its way into his armour. Sensation came back into his feet in a swarm of pins and needles; his stiff, chilled limbs were regaining warmth and feeling. He relaxed a little bit into Vakama's side, looking sleepily up at him. Vakama was still tense beside him, still looking out over the empty city to the ruddy glow of Ta-Metru.

'It's going to be alright, y'know, Vakama,' he said quietly. 'You don't have to worry all the time.'

'It's my duty to worry about things,' Vakama mumbled. 'I'm the Leader. Anything that goes wrong is my fault.'

'That's not true, and you know it,' Matau replied. 'You're not Mata Nui, and you're not all-powerful. Sometimes, it's out of your hands. If things go wrong, and it's not your fault, none of us will blame you. (Not even me!) So. If we don't blame you, you shouldn't blame yourself. You may be our Leader, but you're also just Vakama.' Matau patted his tense back. 'And I'm pretty sure that even Vakama needs to take a break sometimes.'

Matau felt Vakama relax, very slightly.

'The Great Spirit will provide, Vakama.' Matau let his eyes shut a little. 'You'll see.'

Vakama laughed. 'You sound sure of yourself, Turaga Matau. What if you turn out to be wrong?'

Matau yawned. 'Then you can blame me for whatever happens. Let me see what it's like for once.'

'I may hold you to that,' Vakama said, and Matau noted with satisfaction that he was beginning to sound a little drowsy too.

He was beginning to feel really sleepy, now. He wrapped his arm properly around Vakama's waist, dropped his head easily onto his companion's shoulder. 'Since when have you been taller than me, V'kama?' he said, the words getting lost in a tremendous yawn. 'Never noticed b'fore.'

Vakama ignored the question. 'Are you planning on going to sleep up here, Matau?' he said, poking him.

'Why not? It's safe, it's fairly comfortable, and I have a toasty-warm Vakama to keep me company.'

'Hmmm. So if I stay, you stay.'

'...Exactly.'

The two of them sat in silence for a few moments, when suddenly Vakama spoke again.

'Matau?'

He groaned, and reluctantly opened one eye. 'What?'

'I just wanted to say... thank-you. For everything. Even if you were an idiot sometimes, you came after me, and risked your life talking to me... When no one else could.'

Matau was faintly surprised, and more than a little touched. 'You're welcome, Vakama. And sorry again, for... you know... stuff.'

'It's fine.'Vakama was quiet for a moment, and Matau wondered whether he had fallen asleep. 'Also... Matau?'

'Hmm?'

'I...' Vakama's voice dropped, and he hesitated.

'Out with it.'

'I'm glad that... that it was you who came to me that night. Not Nokama, or Onewa, or any of the others. The fact that it was you... it made a real difference.'

'I suppose it had to be me, didn't it?' Matau rambled, saying the words as he thought them. 'I was the most pigheaded, so it meant the most coming from me, right?'

Vakama nodded. 'Well, there was that. And, well, this...' he gestured vaguely towards Matau. 'This feels a lot more right than if it was one of the others. Does that make sense?'

'Hmmmnnnph.'

'I've stopped making sense. Sorry.'

Matau smiled. 'Just get some sleep, Firespitter... you need it.'

'Right. Okay.'

'G'night.'

'Morning?'

'Who cares? It's dark. Sleep tight, Vakama.'

'You... you too.'

He felt the warm, heavy weight of Vakama's head come to rest on top of his own, and allowed his eyes to slip properly shut. He leant back into the stone behind them, and sideways into Vakama's warm, smooth armour, and thought vaguely about how warm he felt. Warm and... contented. Not euphoric, or hopeful, just plain-happy to be where he was. With Vakama at his side.

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><p><strong>Are you overdosed on fluff yet? No? Then clearly, I'm not doing my job properly! XD<strong>

******Guys, I hope you enjoyed this fic. **And whether you did or not, please take the time to leave reviews. I'm not the only person out there who ships this pairing, I know it! ****

**Just to remind you: this is a two-shot. The next chapter will be up within a few days, and that is a promise. I'm not giving anything away, but... there will be lulz. MANY, MANY LULZ. **

**Watch this space! **

**Izzyxox**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So here's chapter 2. I have to warn you, this chapter was written intentionally to be funny to the point of crack. Hopefully I have succeeded in making it amusing, and not just plain weird; I think the biggest danger is OoC-ness. But then, this situation is totally unlike anything that I've seen in canon, so I think I have an excuse for feeling my way a little bit. **

**Incidentally, I love it when I manage to update promptly. I makes me feel so superior. Mwah ha ha ha. **

***cough* Sorry. I know you're really only here for the fic. Here it is! **

***produces with a flourish and retreats to a safe distance***

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><p><strong>The Morning After <strong>

Onewa had always been an early riser.

In the deserts of Po-Metru, where he had worked as a Matoran, once the sun was up, things got very hot, very quickly. So he had always been up at dawn, if not before, to get as much done as possible while it was still cool.

They say that old habits die hard – and thus, Onewa had gained his position as the Toa Metru's acting alarm clock.

'ALL RIGHT, EVERYBODY, RISE AND SHINE!' he yelled at the top of his 'morning' voice, scarcely after his own eyes were open. 'We've got a lot to do today, and it's not gonna get done lying down!' He gave the shoulder of the Toa next to him an energizing shove, earning a sleepy groan for his pains, before sitting up, stretching, and looking alertly around him.

Nokama was already in an upright position, and she nodded a greeting at him. Nuju was propped up on one elbow, massaging his neck, his red eye contracted against the bright morning light. Whenua, on the other hand, was still sprawled face-down on the paving, so Onewa leant over and poked him sharply between the shoulders. Whenua grunted and punched vaguely in his direction, before settling down again.

'Come _on, _Whenua, get yourself together! Or I'll have to use Mind Control on you again.' Onewa gazed threateningly at Whenua's back for a moment, before remembering that he wouldn't be able to see.

'Whatever,' Whenua mumbled. 'Go on then. Saves me that effort.'

Onewa grinned evilly. 'Fine, fine, but be warned – if I get you up, you won't just be standing. You'll be doing some energetic morning exercises; star-jumps, running around flapping and maybe a leap into that nice cold deep lake – '

'Okay, okay, I'm _up_,' Whenua groaned, sitting up and glaring at him. 'No need to get threatening.' He looked around the circle, blinking sleepily, then frowned. 'Hey, guys. Where're Matau and Vakama?'

Onewa looked around in surprise, and realised that their group was, as Whenua said, two Toa down. He reached over and patted the space where Vakama had been – the pavement was, well, stone cold. 'They must've been gone a while,' he deduced.

'_If _they went together,' Nuju said reasonably. 'We only know for sure that Vakama left a while ago. Matau could have only been gone for five minutes.' He shuffled over to Matau's spot at the edge of the fire. 'It's cold, too.'

'Well then, it seems likely that they are together,' Nokama concluded.

'Which any one of us could've guessed anyway,' Onewa muttered, 'seeing as how they're attached at the hip nowadays.'

Nokama looked up warningly. 'Onewa...'

'It's true!'

Whenua shrugged. 'I'm just glad that they're not fighting anymore. It's good to see them getting along so well.'

'Not to mention hilarious,' Onewa sniggered, 'seeing as how they were practically at one another's throats before. Talk about a love-hate relationship!'

Nuju sighed. 'Well, if you're all done gossiping, I'm going to go and look for them. I hope they haven't gone far. Maybe they went to work early, or something.'

'See you in a bit, Nuju,' Onewa and Whenua chorused.

'Be sure to bring them back for something to eat,' Nokama said, getting up. 'I don't know about all of you, but I am hungry.'

Onewa nodded in assent, and the three of them set about heating up the Thornax stew that they had made the previous night. Their supplies were running a little low; they would have to go scavenging again later.

'So... what's on the agenda for today?' Onewa asked rhetorically, picking up his bowl.

'Cataloguing, loading, more cataloguing, and then, guess what?' Whenua rolled his eyes. 'More loading after that.'

'Sounds fun! And so novel!'

'I know, right?'

'Oh, stop it, you two,' Nokama reproved them. 'It may not be very exciting, but this work is absolutely vital.'

'You're not going to say that you enjoy it, Nokama? Even stock-boy here is getting tired of making lists.'

'Well, obviously I don't _enjoy _it, but I know it's necessary. The fact that we are working for a worthy cause makes the process bearable. And besides, we're not working alone – Keetongu and the Rahaga helping us, not to mention each other._ A problem shared is a problem halved_, as they say.'

'Ugh, you're so _patient_,' Onewa grumbled. 'Unlike you, Teacher, I don't have a list of proverbs a mile long to keep me going. I'm just plain bored.'

'Find a way to entertain yourself, then,' Whenua suggested. 'I find that going through the achives in my head really passes the time...'

'Whenua. I would rather slam my head repeatedly against a wall than – '

'_Guys!'_

The three of them looked up to see Nuju standing over them, with a shocked and slightly disturbed expression on his face.

'Nuju? is something wrong?' Nokama asked anxiously, putting down her bowl. 'Did you find them? Are they alright?'

Nuju made a choking sound. 'Found them? _Heck _I found them! They were only just up on the roof.'

Whenua frowned. 'So... what's the problem?'

'They were up on the roof – asleep – alone – and _they were snuggling_! SNUGGLING!' Nuju repeated for dramatic effect, flailing his arms around. 'They had their arms around each other and Matau's head was on Vakama's shoulder and – '

'Nuju, enough already!' Whenua bellowed. 'Shut up before you traumatize us!'

Onewa groaned as scarring images flashed through his mind. 'Too late. I'm already traumatized. Why would they _do_ that? Don't they understand that our mental wellbeing is fragile enough as it is, without them being _love-struck_ as well?'

'_Onewa!_' Nokama rebuked him. She sighed. 'We can't judge the situation yet. Give them time to explain themselves.'

Onewa groaned, rubbing a hand over his mask. 'Well, they're gonna have agood time explaining their way out of _this_ one.'

~O~

The sound of something moving on the roof behind him eventually woke Vakama up.

Blinking blearily, he gave an enormous yawn, but by the time he had sleepily turned around, he could see nothing. Just a cloudy sky and a few bionic birds pecking about in the moss. Sky? Moss? He was on the roof? But... why?

Then he heard a drowsy groan to his right, and looked down – to see Matau waking up beside him.

He gave a yelp of shock, hastily withdrawing his arm from around Matau's waist (why did he have no recollection _whatsoever_ of placing it there!), and shifting away from the other Toa as though he had been burnt.

However, to his increasing surprise, Matau wrapped a limpet-like arm around him and just moved closer to him. 'Don't go, V'kama,' he mumbled. 'S'too early... s'more comfy here...'

'Matau?' Vakama said cautiously. He cast around for a subtle way to say what he meant, but eventually decided it was too early in the morning for tact and said bluntly, 'why are we cuddling?'

'Cuddling. Hmm.' Matau's brow furrowed, as though he were in deep thought. 'Because we're sleepy and you're warm and we like each other?'

'But... but... we've never cuddled before. Why start now?'

'Why not?' Matau leant heavily backwards on the pinnacle behind them, pulling Vakama with him. 'Unless you really don't like it?'

'Well. Erm. It's alright...' A bit more than alright, really. He hadn't slept so deeply in ages.

'So there's no problem.'

'...I suppose,' Vakama sighed. He couldn't be bothered to argue with Matau this early in the morning... and incidentally, what time _was _it?

In the distance, he suddenly heard Whenua yelling something.

He couldn't make out the words, but the tone of his voice was definitely distressed. Then he picked out Onewa's voice, too, and very faintly, Nokama, who, by the sound of it, was trying to calm the others down.

'Matau, the others are all awake! We should go back down.' Vakama tried to get up, but Matau dragged him back down.

'I don't _wanna _get up, Firespitter, it's too early!' he whined.

'Well, you're going to have to,' Vakama said sternly. 'We have work to do.'

Matau scowled. 'You're not-kind.'

'Matau, I'd much rather stay up here with you all day then go and sort Matoran at the Coliseum. But unfortunately, we don't have much choice about it. So let's _go._'

He was stronger than Matau, and bigger, so it wasn't really that difficult to prise his companion off and get to his feet, hauling Matau up beside him. Matau staggered, cursed, and leant heavily on Vakama's shoulder, blinking around to get his bearings.

'We're on the roof,' he observed. 'That means down-climbing. Just _great_.'

'Well, maybe it'll wake you up.'

He made his way to the edge of the roof, Matau trailing behind him, grumbling to himself. When they got to the edge, Vakama climbed down by the safest route he could see and stood at the bottom, looking up at Matau, who was beginning his descent.

'Just do what I did,' he called up. 'I know you're tired, but try not to do anything stupid.'

'Don't worry, firespitter, I got this.' Matau climbed carefully downwards, until he was almost within jumping distance of the found. 'I'm the champion of... hey, a bird!'

'Oh, Matau...'

'Warrrgh!' Matau flailed frantically, almost regained his footing, and then fell. Vakama gasped, leapt forward, and just managed to catch him before he hit the ground.

'How did you manage to fall? For Mata Nui's sake, you can _fly. _Stop being so pathetic!' Vakama exclaimed, carefully placing Matau back on his feet. For someone with such a huge personality, Matau seemed surprisingly light – lifting him was really no effort at all. It must come from being an Air Toa, Vakama reflected.

Matau just laughed, leaning on Vakama for support. 'Sorry, I'll try to. Hey, you caught me! Just like that time on the Coliseum, huh?'

Vakama couldn't help but smile. 'Don't start making a habit of it. Falling off things, I mean.'

'But you always catch me, so what's the problem?'

'It makes me nervous?'

'Ah, fair enough. I'll be careful. But only for you, Firespitter.'

Vakama was about to reply, when he heard a strange noise coming from behind them.

'!'

He and Matau turned around to see Whenua, Nokama, Nuju and Onewa sitting around the remains of their fire, staring at them with undisguised disbelief.

'Alright,' Nokama said in an undertone, which Vakama thought they were probably not meant to hear. 'I take back what I said about judging the situation. Judge away, brothers.'

Onewa buried his face in his hands. 'I think,' they heard him say in a muffled voice, 'that I need to go and crack my head against the pavement until I forget what I just saw.'

Whenua and Nuju made noises of assent, still staring at Vakama and Matau with a sort of horrified fascination. Vakama realised, with a jolt of horror, just exactly what each of them were thinking right now. _Oh Mata Nui help us, how do we explain to them? Especially when _we _have no idea what's happening either? _

'Hey, morning, guys!' Matau said, fantastically oblivious. He started to walk towards the group. 'Urgh, I'm so tired. I barely got _any _sleep last night!'

Nuju groaned, staring resolutely at his bowl of Thornax.

'_And _I'm starving. Got any more of that stew, Nokama?' Matau yawned. 'I'm aching all over, too, from – '

Nokama, Whenua and Nuju all simultaneously choked, spraying Thornax everywhere.

'I CAN'T TAKE ANY MORE OF THIS!' Onewa yelled. 'EITHER SHUT UP AND SIT DOWN AND NEVER SPEAK OF THIS AGAIN, OR FOR MATA NUI'S SAKE GET A ROO– '

'What, _what_?' Matau stepped backwards, his hands held up in an appeasing gesture. 'All I was going to say was that I'm totally stiff from being _banished_ to the cold floor for half the night. No need to start up a shout-loud.'

Nuju frowned. 'Wait. So... why were you on the roof? With Vakama?'

'Oh, we were just, uh, talking. And dream-sharing,' Matau explained. 'And enjoying the view. And then we fell asleep. Y'know?'

'Yeah, we know,' Onewa said sarcastically. 'Nuju told us. He went to look for you before you woke up. _Together._'

Matau looked aggrieved. 'What? I was cold!'

Vakama closed his eyes and wished for the nightmare to end.

'You were cold?' Whenua repeated slowly. 'That was it?'

'Yeah, "_that was_ _it"! _We were talking, I was cold, we fell asleep! What's the big problem?' Matau looked around at the group, who were finally looking uncomfortable. Nokama looked past Matau at Vakama.

'Do you get it?' She mouthed at him.

He nodded. Matau looked between them confusedly. 'Will someone explain to me what's going on?'

Nokama sighed heavily. 'Fine, Matau, come over here.' She got up, and moved a little distance away. Matau followed her, and she started talking quickly in a low voice.

Vakama looked over at the remaining three Toa, all of whom were avoiding his eyes.

'So,' Whenua said, very awkwardly. 'Nothing, like... You guys aren't...'

'No,' Vakama sighed, 'we're not. What Matau said is all that happened.'

All three of them blew outwards in relief. Then Onewa looked up sharply. 'But would you _like_ something to have happened?'

Vakama hadn't been prepared for that question at all. 'W...what?'

'Do you like Matau that way?' Whenua said bluntly.

If Vakama had felt uncomfortable before, it was nothing compared to what he felt now. He couldn't speak; he could barely _think_; he wished the ground would swallow him up. 'I... er... That is to say...' he always felt warm, but now his mask was uncomfortably hot. 'We...'

Just then, there was a strangled cry, and all four of them looked around to see Matau staggering away from Nokama, his mask hidden in his hands.

'Agh! I totally... not-like... Mata-Nui... you-guys! Quick-stop! Nokama says that, you didn't think... Lemme tell you, it wasn't what it looked like!...' Then he seemed to run out of steam, and looked uncertainly over at Vakama. '...Was it?'

All eyes were trained on Vakama as he answered. 'You tell me,' he said, raising one eyebrow in a deliberately cryptic expression. Matau blinked his red-gold eyes, frowning uncertainly.

'Is that a yes?' Matau said, and Vakama didn't recall ever having heard him speak so uncertainly before.

Vakama was about to answer, but Onewa groaned and held a hand up to stop him. 'Whether it's a yes _or _a no, I don't want to hear it.'

Nokama sighed. 'Please, you two, either sit down and have some breakfast and discuss your... issues... later, or if you really can't wait...'

'Go somewhere far away from us,' Whenua finished for her.

'Good to know that you support our relationship,' Matau said, in injured tones.

'Don't say it, it hurts!' Nuju moaned, burying his head in his hands.

'On the other hand, I _am_ hungry,' Matau said, brightening. 'Firespitter, what d'you say we eat now, talk later?'

Vakama sighed. 'You're impossible.'

'No, I just like food,' Matau grinned, sitting down heavily beside Nuju. 'Now, how about some of that Thornax?'

Vakama shook his head slowly and took a seat on the other side of the fire. Nokama passed him a bowl of stew, and he gulped it down hastily, looking around the circle at his fellow Toa, most of whom were avoiding his eyes.

'Everyone...' Vakama cleared his throat awkwardly. 'I'm... sorry for disturbing you.' All of the Toa looked up at him in surprise.

Matau nodded. 'What Vakama said. If it really bothers you – ' Vakama looked at him worriedly.

'Matau, Vakama,' Nokama sighed, 'it's your choice. Do want you want to do. As long as you're happy and doing your duty to the Great Spirit, we won't complain.'

The other three nodded. 'Just don't expect us to get used to it all in a moment,' Whenua said.

'Or to put up with anything that compromises your working ability,' Nuju chimed in.

'Or – '

'Hey, hey!' Matau cut them off. 'Okay, I liked what Nokama said best. And this is a hypothetical situation, anyway!'

'Not for long,' Onewa muttered.

Matau sighed, and started eating again with renewed concentration. 'Whatever,' he mumbled, looking up at Vakama with an embarassed sort of smile. And somehow, looking at him, Vakama couldn't help himself. He was smiling too.

There was no question about it. This was _the_ strangest morning of his life so far.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: My sister and I were checking out the Bionicle fan community on DeviantART, and after a bit of searching, we came up with some really awesome stuff. **

**Firstly, this filled in _Bionicle Meme _by ~Jspx. http : / / isabeljoanvalentine . deviantart . com / favourites / # / d1abki8**** (Take out the spaces.) It's hilarious - especially the Vakama section. It even made our parents laugh. **

**The blank meme was made by the epic KaziRede, and is located here. http : / / kazirede . deviantart . com / art / The - Bionicle - Meme - 76899731 I especially love the first question:**

_**'Okay! So you like Bionicle! There's no shame in that! How did you get into it in the first place?'**_

**KaziRede has also done a lot of hilarious Bionicle fanart, and some extensive headcanoning. If you like Bionicle, you should check out her work! :)**

**I GOT TWO REVIEWS FOR THE FIRST CHAPTER. TWO. YOUR MOTHER AND I ARE VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THIS FANDOM.**

**Review, please, people! Even if you think it sucked, and hate the pairing. I would _especially_ appreciate advice on how I can improve. How can I get better if I don't know what I'm doing wrong? I can't, that's what. I hope to hear from all of you Ninja soon. ;)**

**Well. I think that that's everything. Except... This is the end of my fic. I hope that you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Matau-Vakama (B?)Romance will live forever in our hearts. **

**Good-bye for now! May the Great Spirit be with you!**

**Much love,**

**Izzyxox**


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